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Children At Play: Interlude
(a special short story detailing the interactions between Nebula and Suzie during the events of Children At Play, with the others following Baby on his raid of the Trolls' hidden bunker this special story takes place at the same time as Chapter 5 of the main story) Suzie remained on her knees amidst the now silent ruins of the former cinema, the crowds having dispersed - some following Baby on his crusade and others slipping into the shadows: after an uncomfortable silence she finally spoke to Nebula, the only other person still at the site. "..he loves you, wants to keep you safe.. I can almost admire that.. fleshies don't love for long though, you should make the most of it..". "D-don't say that," said Nebula; fear and anger crept into her voice. Her hands shook as she pulled herself up to her knees. "That's not true..." Suzie finally gets up, motioning "..look around you kid, if Toons can do this what hope do fleshies have? Toons just want to make people happy, just want to make the world better.. fleshies are violent, cruel and petty.. yet they can love, for short periods of time.. Toons? we love forever.. we love even when it hurts.. because that's all we can do.. this - this isn't love though.. this is a Toon who gave up.. only ever happened once before, with Artist.. now Betwixt has given up too.. all because of fleshies..". Nebula sat up, and hugged her knees. "I'm scared," she said quietly, after a few moments. Suzie sighed, then came over to Nebula and sat beside her, her tone changing "..we all are, kid.. you know.. I have to admit something.. you and me, we're closer than we'd like to admit.. I remember being like you, always trying to make people laugh, to smile even when I was in pain.. you ever lost someone you truly cared about?" Nebula nodded. "I lost my mom and dad when I was really little," she said. "And then the first friend I ever had died because he was sick..." Suzie nodded, then commented "..sick? ..you know, my friend got sick once.. he was fading away.. everyone gave up on him but I couldn't.. I.. I did something stupid.. allowed him to get closer than anyone ever did before.. when I woke in the morning, he was gone.. not as in "he ran away".. he disappeared into the Land of Nowhere..". "That means he was forgotten, right?" asked Nebula. "More than just forgotten.. Toons fade away when the world doesn't need them anymore.. I faded away, Baby faded away.. lots of other Toons too.. but my friend was scared, he knew the world was changing and he couldn't do anything about it.. Betwixt was sick, you see.. he still is.." Suzie replied, looking around "..you must think I'm crazy when I say this but I still care about him.. I know he's done a lot of things but this.. this isn't him..". "I understand," said Nebula. "Real love doesn't die easily. Yes, it's crazy, but it's a very normal kind of crazy...you know what I mean?" "Maybe, but after what happened.. nobody's going to understand.. you saw how your boyfriend was, let alone Baby.. it's like something wants a war and right now it seems to be getting just that.. I just can't see Betwixt being the one.. he never wanted war.. I know he's done a lot of bad things but he never wanted to kill.." Suzie replied, fishing out a picture she proceeded to hold towards Nebula. The picture was an old photo of Suzie, Betwixt and Baby standing outside a studio - a number of other Toons were in the background. "..all the stuff Betwixt did, he did because he wanted to go back to the only world he ever knew.. this.. this isn't about changing the world - this is about destroying it.. Betwixt is a lot of things but he isn't a destroyer.." Suzie continued - motioning again at the ruins around them. "When we fought him, I felt so many things coming from him," said Nebula. "I felt so much anger. But beneath all of that, I could feel even more sadness and fear. And then, there was...something else. Some dark, alien feeling. It...it terrified me." Suzie nodded "..there is a story passed down from Toon to Toon about a Presence.. something dark, something evil.. that for every happy thought there is a bad one.. Toons are meant to make the world a happier place.. yet more often than not we end up failing..". Suzie put the old photo away then sighed, "I never told anyone this but the wars you Fleshies waged with each other.. the cover-up of Toons.. sometimes I wonder what caused it all.. if it was really all Fleshie greed and hate or if something else was at work.. whatever it was, it seemed to want to destroy Toons.. only one way to truly kill a Toon, kid, and that is to turn them into something they ain't.. killers and madmen..". "Do you mind if I ask you something?" asked Nebula. "Something...personal?" Suzie looked over, then commented "..sure.. go ahead and ask.. not like anyone else is going to hear.." "Did you...do ''you love him?" Suzie replied, flicking her tail "..you don't share what me and Betwixt shared without love.. hard to love someone when they are some insane conqueror of worlds but as much as I hate to admit it, Betwixt never wanted to rule the world.. he wanted to make a world where no Toon ever had to fade away because some Fleshies decided to start a war..". Suzie then sighed once more, looking around "..you know, it's going to sound horrible but I can almost see why a Toon would do something like this.. almost.. I mean think on it.. to never again feel the warmth of friends or loved ones, to never hear geniune laughter.. yes.. I suppose.. if I dared.. I would kill for those things..". A silence hung between the two for a few moments, before Nebula spoke. "There was once a time I felt like that too. A time where I would have done anything to be known, to be loved...believe it or not, people used to be afraid of me- not for who I was, but what I might become. My own people always pretended I wasn't there- they kept me locked away in a castle tower. But I made one friend, and he showed me that a little love- even a smile could change so much. But now..." Nebula looked out toward the horizon where Baby, Ruichi, and the mob had gone. "Was he wrong? Was I wrong to believe him? All I've ever wanted was to spread happiness and make friends who would at least acknowledge I was there...most of my friends are now dead, or worse...is there no room in the universe for love? It just hurts worse and worse whenever I lose someone else...and now if I lose Ruichi..." Nebula's voice had become more frantic, and she appeared on the brink of tears. "I-I'm sorry," she said. "I...I got carried away..." Suzie remains silent, then a strange look came over the Toon - she seemed to stare at Nebula for a good few minutes then extended a hand, as she did so a large motorbike suddenly manifested with an audible popping sound. "Many years ago your governments decreed that Toons would be erased.. they believed after the Wars we Toons had no place in the world.. thus they undertook what was and remains the single largest conspiracy of the modern era.. Operation: Blackout.. entire families were gathered and taken to government bunkers, their memories altered by machines - those who escaped never told a soul, can you blame them? The world effectively forced Toons into "fiction", believing we'd never come back.. Betwixt saw that as the final confirmation of what he believed all along.. that the universe is a cruel, hateful place..". Suzie tosses a small helmet towards Nebula as she straps one on herself, forming an old-fashioned jacket in the process and heading towards the motorbike: "..only the world has changed, hasn't it? it's hard to admit but it's true.. the days of war and conspiracy.. they have to stop.. so you and me, kid, we're going to go out there and be a new kind of soldier.. we're going to win this thing - by showing a better way..". Suzie holds out a hand towards Nebula: "..what you say, kid? how about we get rid of these Trolls and beat Betwixt with a new method? how about we try love?.. sounds crazy but this.." - she looks at the destruction around them- "..this isn't any better..". "That...that does sound crazy," said Nebula. She grinned a small grin, and slipped the helmet on. "But I'm no stranger to crazy. What do you have in mind?" "We're going to go after them before it's too late - you're going to tell your boyfriend what he means to you.. it might be scary but you have to do it, no matter what.. then when that's done we're going after Betwixt, one way or another.." Suzie replied, hopping on the motorbike. "It would ''definitely be scary," said Nebula, climbing onto the back of the motorbike, "but I've known fear longer than I've known anyone else in my life. I can do this." Suzie smiles for a moment and turns, "..you know something kid, I don't say this to many but you and I - we're going to be alright.. we're friends, you hear me? no matter what.. and that's all Toon really needs.. one friend.. trust me.. when a Toon has just one person to care about - ain't nothing we can't do..". At that moment a strange feeling washes over the pair as a voice speaks, the source unknown: "Love is a gift, Suzie.. I am glad you see that.. don't be afraid, Nebula.. stories can be long and hard yet we determine how they end.. even if it doesn't always seem like it..". Nebula looked around, confusion etched on her face. "Did you hear that?" she asked. Suzie just looks as confused as Nebula, looking around before finally catching sight of something amazing in the form of a ball of rainbow-colored light, no bigger than the palm of a Wisp's hand yet standing out in the monochrome world of the Land of Nowhere - the voice continues: "You have no idea how important simple things can be in this land.. it is part of Imagination - Hope, Joy, Love, Youth and Peace.. these are the only weapons that can truly win this conflict.. now go.. be with those you care for - free them.. from the darkness..". Category:Short Stories Category:Co-Op Stories Category:Betwixt Category:Deathwalker 13000 Category:Fantasy Category:Dark